We thought we saw something incredible last week.

This was even more special.

Kahuku and Farrington, playing for the OIA championship last night, out-did the incredible Farrington-Leilehua semifinal of seven days prior.

This time it went to two overtimes, with the Red Raiders prevailing 22-19 on St. John Lessary's 26-yard field goal.

Mistakes and missed opportunities in the end only added to the drama. Not pretty, but plenty gritty.

Before that, plenty of good stuff to set the stage.

I learned a long time ago never to assume public school coaches play checkers and not chess.

Kahuku assistant Sterling Carvalho revealed his team's offensive intentions to me minutes before kickoff as we walked up the stairs. Yes, he told all, but with a mischievous grin.

“;That's the game plan—conservative, no mistakes,”; the rascal said. “;Definitely conservative.”;

Seemed to make sense, what with the rain, and that this was for the championship—definitely no time for messing around.

So what is this in the first quarter? Running back/kicker/everything-else Lessary—a Swiss army knife of a player with a name fit for a foreign ambassador—takes a pitch and throws a touchdown pass.

But Farrington quickly shows it has a trick or two up its sleeve tattoos, too.

Govs coach Randall Okimoto has the haircut of a samurai and the demeanor of a guy pretending to pretend he hasn't a clue. “;Who me? I'm not doing anything.”;

Eight running plays in a row. Then the check-raise. Finally, after the Kahuku back seven had crept up just enough, backup quarterback James Smith throws a strike to Ani Isumu. Touchdown.

The Red Raiders respond with their own version of cat-and-mouse.

They run the option, Farrington adjusts, spreading out.

So Kahuku quick-hits the gaps.

Farrington tightens up, Kahuku back to the option.

It never ends.

Run, run, run ... eight times in a row at one point of the third quarter. Boring only if you don't know what's at stake and what might come.

Then, bang. Allan Kubota rolls right, finds Reupena Moors with a 30-yard TD pass.

We're beyond the point of pure brawn making the difference, even in a classic physical matchup like Farrington and Kahuku.

Now it's about tactics as much as big finesse plays and brute strength.

Emotion plays a big part, too, and for some reason on this night, the Farrington crimson far outnumbers the Kahuku cherry red. Plenty of Gov Lov.

But Red Raiders and NFL alumni Leonard Peters and Tala Esera are in town and on the sideline, and that gives Kahuku a boost.

It ends with a star making a play.

From the artistic and strategic perspectives, the game eroded as the clock ran down and into overtime and the mistakes piled up.

That, though, takes nothing away from a championship won ultimately via survival. Special isn't always pretty, especially in football.